Hey friends, how are you doing today? I suppose it could be worse, right? Donβt you hate, when thatβs said after youβve shared how you felt? I donβt always enjoy answering that question, because Iβve found most people arenβt interested in the answer.Β What if I said Iβm not okay today; are you willing to listen? Weβre a short answer, please, community.Β Time is really a priceless commodity, that most times, we arenβt willing to share, plus I have to tell you all about me.Β Β There isnβt enough time for the two of us, so let this time be about me.Β Hey friends, how are you today? Iβll listen, but firstβ¦Listening is skill that has to be taught, did you know that? Just like every skill, some people are better at it, than others.Β Most of us have to practice this skill.Β There are two sides of me, the talker and the quiet.Β The βquietβ usually means, no one in their right mind, should be talking to me, right now.Β And of, course the βtalker is obvious.Β There really isnβt any room in there to listen, is there? Donβt worry, most people fall into that category too.Β Even in the silence, you know you arenβt listening.Β At the time, there are a million things going through your mind, of activities that need to be completed and events you are preparing for; who has the time!
My God is amazing; He is the best Listener in my circle, even better than my sweet husband.Β I could see him getting cross eyed after a while (I really donβt talk THAT much).Β But the Lord, He sticks with me, He listens and listens and listens. Iβve realized something throughout the years, the Lord likes to talk too.Β Did you realize that too? He speaks, primarily through His Word, but He also uses people, nature, events and several other avenues to speak. Usually, people vie to give advice before listening to WHOLE story, but God, He waits and then He tells me where to find the perfect solution to my circumstance.
I remember, early on in our marriage, I would tell Him all about Bennyβs faults and everything wrong he did.Β I would remind him that He blessed our union, so now, how was He going to fix Him.Β Because clearly, he needed fixing, I was just perfect.Β Of course, after listening to me vent, He told me I was not AS perfect as I thought.Β I told you, Iβm not that great of a listener, so it took a few years to get through.Β Β Β The beauty of it is that He is teaching me to listen.Β Iβm still a better βtalkerβ than a listener, but Iβm getting there.
Hey friends, how are you today?
How would you rate your listening skills? Iβm sure thereβs room for improvement.
Let’s keep in touch; follow my Facebook page hereΒ or find me on Instagram here.
62 responses to “HELP! ARE YOU LISTENING?”
When my Mom died, then my Daddy, then my own breast cancer came, these were times when I remember saying I was “fine” but I really wasn’t. I don’t think it was because people weren’t willing to listen, It may have been because I didn’t know how to ask them to help me anyway. Really in saying “FINE” on the inside I was saying “Frankly I Need Everything, but don’t know how to ask”
So now when a friend say “I’m fine,” I take time to go deeper.
Thanks for the like at DailyBiblePrayer.
God bless your week.
Laura
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Wow! I absolutely love this acronym for the word fine. β€οΈ Iβd love to use it, if you donβt mind. Thank you for this comment and May the Lord richly bless you
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Thank you – Please do use – I’m trying to spread the word π
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βIβve realized something throughout the years, the Lord likes to talk too. Did you realize that too? He speaks, primarily through His Word, but He also uses people, nature, events and several other avenues to speak. Usually, people vie to give advice before listening to WHOLE story, but God, He waits and then He tells me where to find the perfect solution to my circumstance.β ….love, love, love this truth!! Thank you so much for sharing. This is what God needed me to see this evening π
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Amen ππ½ I like to talk π² but I have found that when I slow down enough to listen to our God, I love to hear what He has to say
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Iβm also thankful that Jehovah God is such a wonderful listener. I look to Him as the ultimate example. So reading the Bible helps me to see how to do it.
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Amen ππ½ thatβs the place to find the standard that He has set for us as Christians. In His very Word. Thank you for this comment
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I definitely can improve in this area. I try to keep in mind Ecclesiastes 3:7 which reminds us that there is a time to be silent and a time to speak.
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Amen ππ½ something we certainly need to remember. Listening is a great skill that must be cultivated, especially as Christians
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Thanks for “listening” to me on my blog. : )
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ππ it was truly great βlisteningβ to you β€οΈ
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Some days my listening skills are spot on and other days they require a great deal of mindfulness to activate. We are all works in progress right? We have allowed technology to infect our listening & communication skills. How I feel badly for the youth coming up today, losing social graces to the screen.
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amen; we are certainly a work in progress. He is still working on us to perfect us, praise the Lord.
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Brenda, I love this post and you are right…the silences are often the problem as well as the interruptions. Harder to identify yourself if you’re a silent “interrupter”. My mind is always running, and I may be really paying attention and then….(drift…). You beautifully noted that our Lord is always communicating with us if we have ears to hear. Bible study, when I have something on my mind…(drift….). I’m really working on that here latelyβlistening to the Word with a Mary’s heart, totally enwrapt in *His* heart instead of my own static. Great post! Thank you!
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I absolutely love this comment. β€οΈβ€οΈ I spoke to the Lord about this very βdriftingβ and βwonderingβ this morning. I want to do better at listening. Praise the Lord, Iβm not where I used to be, that I do know Iβm far from where I should be.
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Thank you. But I see so many of us making the mistake thinking they are perfect. We all fall short, we all make mistakes. It’s easier to find fault about someone else than to look at ourselves. And I do well when listening to others. Listen to what the person is saying. It really does help. God will always help direct us on the right path.
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Amen ππ½ sometimes I think thatβs something we all struggle with; the idea that we are better than others. May the Lord have mercy on us π listening adds to wisdom, doesnβt it? Have a blessed day
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Yes, it does. Thank you.
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You ask questions I don’t want to answer. *smirk* I don’t really like being asked how I am because usually I’m struggling, and it’s the same old story. Sometimes I’ll dread the question because like you said, does anyone really want to know the answer. God indeed is a good listener. And He does indeed speak! Often for me it’s through nature or song and definitely through others. Your post was speaking to me too. π Thanks for sharing! β€
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Nature and song are my deep breath and itβs going to be alright moments with God. I can always hear Him saying that to me. β€οΈWe can bask in His love and compassion and most importantly HOPE. Have a blessed day, my friend
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So many times people ask “how are you” as only words – a greeting, but not really a sincere question. In those times I have been tempted to say something like “My house just burned down, my dog got run over and my husband ran off with the neighbor” to see if they were really even listening. Tempted – but never have done so.
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πππ oh my friend, you had me laughing out loud. Can you imagine their expression, though? But then perhaps, you wouldnβt be heard… thatβs a good one, Barbara. Have a wonderful
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Glad you got a laugh!
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Listening is definitely more than just hearing. Listening is an activity where hearing is happenstance. Listening tries to comprehend what was spoken.
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Very, very said. Hearing is an activity; I absolutely love this, I never thought of it quite like this, but thatβs good. May the Lord be with you
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True friends will listen and if they know you they are interested to hear how your Day was. π
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Amen ππ½ thatβs it, we listen to each other, instead of waiting for opportunities to share our advice or experiences. We listen β€οΈ Thanks for sharing. May the Lord bless you
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I find that listening is a mutual endeavor. As one of my pastors says, “They do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” I someone will not listen to you, you are not apt to really engage to listen to them and visa-versa. Listen first, then expect to be listened to, then listen more. It is a matter of trust.
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Thank you for sharing, may we be aware of that, especially as Christians. I suppose we are it to those who do not know the Lord as their Savior to listen carefully. Thanks
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I’m listening Brenda. I talked often. I processed externally thinking my wife Sue if 20 years was on the same journey and was interested. But in recent days Sue decided we are so different she is tired and stressed by my obsession with Jesus that we are better off apart. Pray even at the 11th hour God would change her heart and my mind and cause our reunification in some amazing way. πππ
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I will certainly pray. God can do anything and He can certainly bring healing. I will pray. Stay encouraged, my friend. May the Lord be with you
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Super post and food for thought. You are so right about listening. Have a wonderful and Blessed weekend you and your family.
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Thank you ππ½ and May the Lord richly bless you abundantly this weekend. It promises to be great weekend, weather wise. Maybe I could spend some time outside, that would be great.
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I’m glad I listened to you; it helped.
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ππthank you, May the Lord receive all the glory. He always gives us exactly what we need. He is good
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AMEN.
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I donβt talk much but I love to listen to others. I always want to be a fixer if I can. But God has shown me that just interceding in prayer is often the best fix. Let his will be done.
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Amen and amen ππ½ God always has the best solutions to lifeβs difficulties. He always come through
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Lovely post, I also had this weakness I thought that I didn’t have negative traits too until the Lord started to show them to me.
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β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ when weβve walked with the Lord awhile, we sometimes think other people are our standard. When we compare ourselves to them, we see ourselves as better, BUT GOD will not leave us with that thinking ππ½
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βThe βquietβ usually means, no one in their right mind, should be talking to me, right now.β AMEN!!!!!
Great post indeed π
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ππ praise the Lord for His patience and grace toward His children. I would have given up on me a long time ago, but He is persistent. β€οΈ
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Great post, and one we need to LISTEN to! π This part: “He speaks, primarily through His Word, but He also uses people, nature, events and several other avenues to speak.” I always listen to Him through your posts, Brenda, and so blessed to hear His voice speaking to my heart that way.
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Thank you π To our Great and Mighty God be all the glory π He keeps us until the day; and He is the Great Sanctifier ππ½
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Yes, there’s always room for improvement. I’m a good listener, thing is – when I need someone to listen, they usually don’t just listen to me but over shadow what I’m saying and talk about what’s going on with them….sigh…(guess that’s the life of an encourager…lol)
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I think I fit into the latter category, but Iβm getting there, slower and surely
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Great post π
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Praise the Lord, He is amazing. To Him be all the glory
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“the Lord likes to talk too”… BOY!…do I EVER know that one. Sometimes I get caught up in the trap of cutting in the conversation before the other has time to unload. On a scale I use to be a “0”…then I graduated to a “1”. Now I’m a lot wiser -5Β½ππ. My point as in yours…learning to listen. Getting better in my young age..67+. SHALOM sister π
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πππ our God is amazing, He moves us in the direction He wants us to go. He is good.
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Amen. I’m thankful God is faithful in listening to our cries unto Him and in guiding us to His word for answers. Thank you dear Brenda!π
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Amen! Thatβs the best part, knowing that we serve the powerful, mighty and Amazing God, Who listens and is able to do something about our cries
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I like to think I’m pretty good listener. Although, I can readily admit that sometimes I am distracted by all those other thoughts running through my head. Here’s to working on actually focusing, being present, and LISTENING! π God Bless! Hope you are having a wonderful week π
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This week was wonderful, the girls are here, thank God and itβs been good spending time with them. Praise the Lord for His mercy. How are you doing, especially in your final trimester? Is this your final trimester?
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Glad you have been having a good time with your girls! π Yes, we are in the last trimester….last couple of weeks actually. I am doing ok, just trying not to be impatient and remember that babies come when they are ready…easier said than done, lol! Thank you for asking, God Bless!!
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πππ I do remember that. I needed CSections and for the final baby , I promised to murder my doctor, if he didnβt rid my body of this child ππ½πππ he saw it my way
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Ahahhahaaa π I bet he did!!!
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ππ
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Wonderful post, Brenda, and what I needed to hear. How are you? I’m listening.
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ππ thank you, today, Iβm having a great day. The sun came out and I am blessed, praise the Lord. How are you?
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I have a particular co-worker – an older man who lives alone and doesn’t have a family or much friends. I enjoy going to him just to listen and I can see his excitement when he talks. Still, I have some room to grow here.
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I do enjoy listening to older people, when they speak; there is so much to learn. I suppose my primary issue is listening to my colleagues or friends, without interruptions π’π’ May the Lord have mercy
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